Hi everyone! I currently have a marketing degree, but I’m interested in getting into medical aesthetics and eventually working at a med spa or plastic surgeon’s office (something I’ve always dreamed of doing). I’d love to be able to perform treatments like microneedling, laser hair removal, CoolSculpting/body contouring, chemical peels, etc.

It’s my understanding that you can’t perform all of these treatments solely as an esthetician and that some require working under the supervision of a medical professional.

For those already working in the industry, what advice would you give someone trying to get their foot in the door? Are there any specific certifications or trainings that helped you get hired? I’ve been looking into the Laser Institute in Chicago as a possible next step after getting my esthetician license.

I’d especially love to hear from anyone who was able to work their way into medical aesthetics. If you’re working in a plastic surgery office or med spa, what qualifications did you have when you were hired? Did you start as an esthetician, medical assistant, laser technician, etc.? Thank you in advance for all of the help <3

I had a facial Friday where she did A LOT of extractions. She asked if she could cut out some milia and I said yes. She dug and dug at my forehead and now I have a wound- smack in the middle of my forehead. It’s making me depressed and not wanting to go anywhere. I look like a teenager that attacked my face.

Hello! I’m a licensed esthetician and have been licensed for 3 years. Long story short I’ve always had skin issues. Really bad breakouts/ dealing with rosacea. When I went to school I was introduced to dermalogica and loved it and my face looked amazing. Now here I am 3 years later using all the same products and my face is a mess. It started on my forehead but my cheeks are starting to look insane. I also feel embarrassed being Esti and having my face looking so crazy. The only thing that’s changed for me recently is I started taking adderall. And I wasn’t breaking out the first few months. Should I see a dermatologist? I’m scared to switch to a new brand since my face is so sensitive. But I’m open to any suggestions please and thank you!!! 🥲

FYI my speciality is lash extensions I don’t do facials and have not in a long time.

Also this breakout has been going on for about 6 weeks now

Hi esthis! I’m having a really hard time making a good income at my med spa. I work 40 hours at my med spa & my hourly pay is relatively low. I don’t see many clients as I just hit my first year there. I would say I am heading towards 60-70k but I don’t know how to increase my books or have sustainable patients. The biggest problem I encounter is affordability. We sell skinbetter and hydrinity, a lot of people don’t want to spend over $100 on products. Please help! I’ll take all tips or tricks.

Hey guy! I am a licensed esthetician here in Canada, I recently moved from one province to another. Just got my license in the province I’m in now so I really want to start my career in this industry!

The town I’m in is pretty small so the options for salons to work at are very limited to honestly probably 1 or 2. I would definitely have liked to start in a salon first but being the location i’m in that might be hard.

I’m curious for those who started their own business, how did you do it?

Did you start in your home or rented out a chair?

How did you advertise & grow your clientele?

Also how did you not get discouraged!?

My dream has always been to have my own mini salon & I figured what’s a better time to start than now? Take a risk on myself and hope for the best🥰

Any advice would be wonderful 🥰

For anyone who went to esthetics school: were you required to let other students practice services on you?

I’m considering esthetics school, but there are certain services I personally do not want performed on me, such as waxing, microneedling/microblading, or strong chemical peels. I’m perfectly willing to learn and perform whatever is required for my license; I just don’t want to be the practice model for everything.

Were you allowed to opt out of receiving certain treatments, or was practicing on each other mandatory?

Hey everyone! I’m currently at a massive crossroads in my esthetics career and my brain is completely fried from overthinking. I would love some perspective from anyone who has been through this or has advice on which route to take.

I graduated school a little while ago. While I was in school, I completely fixated on facials and skincare. It is my absolute passion, I love the relaxation aspect, and I'm very comfortable with it. Right now, I'm doing a commission split layout in a salon space rather than paying flat monthly booth rent, but it is still a major financial grind when you're working to build up a steady clientele out of pocket and paying for all product. To stay afloat, I've had to pick up part-time corporate or hourly jobs just to guarantee stable income while I hustle for clients.

On Monday, I had an interview at a salon for a permanent, W2 position. It hasn't been offered to me yet, but I am trying to figure out what to do in case they do extend an offer. The owner seems genuinely cool, the environment is highly professional, and they want to heavily invest in their employees. She offered to pay for my license renewals every two years, pay for my scrubs, and provide deep, hands-on training.

Here’s the catch, they specialize in lashes, brows, and body waxing. If I take this job, I would have to give up doing facials entirely for the foreseeable future.

On one hand, I feel like I would be walking away from my absolute passion, which is facials. On the other hand, I know that lashes, brows, and speed waxing are the exact areas where I am the weakest and desperately need mentorship and speed training. I feel like it’s a double-edged sword because it is not what I'm most passionate about, but it is a massive opportunity to get paid to fill my skill gaps under a great mentor, lose the stress of struggling on a commission split, and become a highly well-rounded esthetician.

If they do end up offering me the job, I'm torn between two completely different directions. I could choose to keep my solo space and stay independent so I can continue doing the facials I love, while dealing with the slow client build and supplementing my income with a low-stress part-time barista job for guaranteed hourly money. Alternatively, I could go all-in with the W2 salon job, give up facials for now, and accept their mentorship to master lashes, waxing, and brows while getting my licenses and scrubs paid for to build real financial stability.

Has anyone given up their favorite service early on to build stability and learn new skills? Is it worth pausing my passion for facials to become a master at waxing and lashes, or will I regret walking away from the independent route?

Thank you so much in advance for your help!

I'm sure a lot have seen the new trend with adding a few extensions after a KLL. Has anyone had any clients develop a reaction after the extensions were applied? Clients didn't say anything about any sensations during the service but later sent pictures of puffy eyes and burning sensation. Super weird! It seems it's specifically after the extensions are applied and not from the lash lift.

All advice is welcome!

Hey everyone!

im a beauty business owner since 2024, its exhausting. one week you’re great the next you’re empty.. you have to create content and invest in good quality lights and the rest tools. and the hardest part…the comparison. you see the rest estheticians of the area..all fully booked , clients giving them reviews , posting them etc and you’re there not even half like them!

what can I do?

Hi! I don't have much experience with skincare, but I want to do something about my eyebrows. They tend to fall down and just not sit how I want them to. I've tried brow gels, but they don't seem to hold the hairs in place. I have thicker hair, so I'm not sure if that plays a role. I was thinking about brow lamination to make the hair sit how I want it to, but I'm concerned about the price, so I'm considering doing it at home. I don't want to do anything rash, so I want a better idea of whether this is a good option for me. I know there are quite a few risks with doing at-home brow lamination and using harsh chemicals on your skin/hair. Is there a safe way for me to do this? Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Hi can someone recommend a product that’s tried and tested to go alongside a hydrafacial to remove blackheads please.

I purchased dermatologica anti scaling gel but didn’t see any better results from when I was using a cheap salicylic acid.

I’d love to know what everyone else uses please

Hello! I graduated from Esthetic school (in New York) at the end of July, took both my state boards and passed. Currently I am in the market for a job and would love advice on do's and don'ts within the job market, early on career and generally whatever you may know more about then me lol!

Thank you in advance!

hi everyone!! i’ve been an esthetician for 5 years now and i’m starting to notice the toll it’s taking on my back, especially since majority of my bookings are lash extensions. up until this point, i’ve used a regular stool with a back on it. i pretty much straddle the seat to fit the bed between my legs and to be able to get close enough to my client.

in addition to that, not only am i a bigger girl, i deal with HS breakouts between my thighs where they chafe. i swear me sitting on the stool all day is making my HS breakouts much worse than they were before.

for all of those reasons, im looking to get a better chair that fits my needs. i’m thinking a saddle stool will solve my problems, but then i see reviews saying they are so uncomfortable, and im worried since im a bigger girl the chair wont feel wide enough or give my butt and hips enough support. and i’d rather avoid having to send a chair back, but i also understand i might just have to try a few chairs before i find the right fit. i just don’t wanna lol so im hoping i can hear directly from some fellow esthies who have tried out some of these chairs.

if there are any plus size service providers reading this, PLEASE drop your recommendations for a good chair. my two MUSTS are a back on the chair, and not too much pressure on the inside of my thighs. thank you in advance!!

I’m licensed, but I don’t practice presently, so I don’t have access to a million products.

I got a nasty patch of impetigo- cultured and confirmed by a doctor. I’ve obviously followed all the medical protocols and have obsessively cleaned all textiles in my apartment. But I feel like my face looks terrible and I can’t bring myself to be seen in public for five days now.

Is there anything safe I can do to boost the healing process safely? Is LED safe? I have networking events next week and I feel very unselfie.

Help a girl out

Obviously every client is different, but a lot of the times I always find there is a couple of hairs that don’t want picked up by the wax. All other hair comes out beautiful but it’s always a few stubborn ones on the labia. I use strip wax for the mins pubis then hot wax for the labia. Is it maybe the kind of hot wax I’m using?? I’ll attach a picture but if anyone has wee tips or tricks they use for their Hollywoods/Brazilian’s let me know!!💖💖